Wolf's Prey
by vastare
Summary: It is said that once you're marked by the wolf, there's no escaping him. You can run, you can hide, but he will eventually find you. There's nothing that will keep the wolf from his prey...nothing at all. SaitouxMisao AU
1. The Mark Of The Wolf

**Hello minna-san. This is my first try at this pairing, so constructive criticism is appreciated. Not to mention I'm rather apprehensive about this, seeing that I've just stepped out of my safety box to try something new. I blame this completely on Royal blueKitsune, who has managed to get me addicted to this pairing. Anyway, enough of my babbling, hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or the characters  
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**Wolf's Prey**

**Chapter 1: The Mark Of The Wolf**

**--- **

_She should have listened. _

_There was a reason why she hadn't been allowed to go into the forest. There were stories. Most of them about people entering the woods and never being seen again. There were also tales about wolves... not animals to be exact, but something different. Something more dangerous and dark. _

_Of course being the impertinent child she was, she had not obeyed. To her these were all fairy tales to scare children and adults who had no shame in believing in these things. The world of magic did not exist in her opinion. If magic existed than her parents would still be alive and that was not the case. _

_Now however she wished that she had listened to the stories. There might be nothing supernatural about the woods, but it was definitely dangerous, especially when you were all alone and lost. _

_Having lived most of her life in the city, she had never seen a more thick and closed off forest than this one before. The sunlight was completely blocked out by the thick foliage, leaving her stranded in a dark and gloomy atmosphere. Not to mention that with each passing minute, it was getting darker and darker. With the sun going down in a few minutes, there was nothing much she could do, but hope that she found her way out of this mess. _

_Maybe she should have not accepted that dare, but hell that stupid boy had made her infuriated by calling her a coward. _

_No one called Misao Makimachi a coward!_

_At least she proved him wrong by giving him a bruised eye. Of course she could have just left it at that, but with her honor at stake, she had marched into the forest head held up high, shoulders squared and a determined look on her face. _

_She should have just contented herself with kicking the crap out of that boy. Now she was lost, hungry and most definitely in trouble. _

_Aoshi-sama was going to have her head for this. At the thought of her crush a.k.a guardian, she found her lips trembling lightly. She never wanted Aoshi-sama to be angry at her. She could not bare it. _

_The picture of a dark haired man flashed through her mind and she found herself whimpering slightly. He would be furious and it was all that stupid boy's fault. Gritting her teeth, she swore that she would hurt that boy even more when she got out of this. _

_The echoing snap of a twig behind her snapped her out of her sadistic thoughts. Whirling around she tried to find the origin of the sound, but as far as she could see, she was all alone. _

_However she was proven wrong as howls could be heard in the distance. The first thing she noticed was that except for those howls, the forest was too quiet and that usually meant trouble. The second thing was that those howls were getting steadily closer. _

_It didn't take her much time to come to a conclusion that she was being hunted...by wolves to be exact. Feeling fear creeping on her, she did what her instincts told her, she ran. A voice in her head screamed that it was stupid, wolves were fast, much faster than a tomboyish thirteen year old girl, but self-preservation pushed her to run even harder. _

_Within minutes she could hear the sounds of fast running footsteps behind her. She did not have to look behind her to know that her hunters were gaining on her. _

_Growls send shivers of fear along her spine. Cold sweat beaded on her brow. They were going to get her. She was going to end up wolf food. _

_Too preoccupied with her thoughts, she failed to notice one of the wolf launch for her. The blow came as a surprise, his much heavier body knocking the air out of her and causing her to lose her balance. Letting out a startled scream she found herself gazing into the dark amber eyes of the wolf as his fangs came down upon her. _

_Emerald eyes widened both in pain and in shock as she felt fangs dig into her left shoulder, tearing the soft flesh. Pain blinded her for a moment, but she had no time to react as she felt herself falling backwards. It all happened too fast. _

_The wolf who had bitten her, jumped away just in time, but she was not that lucky as she plummeted towards the raging waters below. _

---

Emerald eyes slowly fluttered open as the first rays of the sun flittered through the open window. Morning had come too early in her opinion and after a night of reoccurring dreams or more like memories, the young woman was ready to just tell the day to screw itself so that she could go back to sleep.

However she did not have that privilege. Almost as if strengthening that point a soft knock sounded on the door.

"Misao-chan, it's time to get up. You have classes today right?"

Misao let out a frustrated sound as Omasu's voice drifted from the closed door. She should have chosen to live on campus, instead of at home. At least if she had been living on campus, she would have been able to skip some of her classes when she felt like it.

Living at home on the other hand meant, discipline. Never miss a class and really no sleeping in until late, not even on the weekends. Running a hand through her tangled hair, she reluctantly stood up. Goosebumps erupted all over her skin as the cold morning wind caressed the now exposed skin. The urge to crawl under the sheets was rather tempting, but she knew that if she did she would have to deal with a angry Omasu and that was not something the young woman was looking forward in the morning.

Maybe she should consider moving out. There was Kaoru and she had to admit that Kaoru's offer was sounding better and better with each passing day, maybe she should go live with her. On the other hand Sano was one of Kaoru's roommates and God knows how untidy that man can be.

Fortunately they had Kenshin as another roommate. Strangely enough Kaoru's redheaded boyfriend had a certain affinity to cleaning, washing and just about everything that had to do with house chores.

Yet she also had to consider that Sano and her got along just as well as cats and dogs or like their friends would say weasel and chicken. The man got on her nerves.

Campus was definitely better.

"Misao-chan hurry up or I will leave you!"

"I know!" she managed to growl as she stretched her arms over her head.

Scoffing she made her way to the bathroom, stripping on the way. Some clothes on the floor never hurt anyone. She was not miss perfect and her room could use some tidying up, but she was better than Sano.

Slamming the bathroom door closed behind her, she stood for a moment observing herself in the mirror. A young face stared back at her. The roundness of her face was still pronounced, but not as much as when she was a teenager. It gave her somewhat of a childish look, but in a way more innocent than anything else.

Large emerald eyes, framed by long dark lashes stared back at her. She had inherited her mother's eyes. Her mother had been a foreigner, unlike her father who had been Japanese. She calmly continued the rest of her perusal. Small full lips, stubborn tilt to her chin and a small straight nose. She looked just as much as her father as her mother.

If she were to be truthful she was a mix of both of them or at least that's what Jii-chan told her. For example she had her mother's feisty personality and her father's passion for everything that had to with martial arts.

She really missed them.

Losing her parents at only five years old had been devastating to her. Being so young at that time, it had taken her some time to understand that her parents were not coming back. It had taken her a while, but she had finally managed to find closure. Life needed to go on, no matter how painful it was at times.

Blinking back the memories, she focused her gaze once again on her reflection. Eyes slowly wandered lower and came to rest on her right shoulder. Fingers gently traced the single mark then. She shuddered lightly as her blunt nails touched the scar. Even though it's been more than seven years since she got this, it was still rather prominent against her lightly tanned skin, almost like a reminder of what had happened that night.

Gazing at the scar, she was reminded of the dreams that she had been having lately. All of them revolved on that particular event. She didn't know why she was having these dreams now of all times. Normally she barely dreamed. Yet these dreams came each night. It was unnerving. A small voice kept telling her that it did mean something and that she should be wary, but the more rational part of her snorted at the thought.

Dreams were only dreams and meant nothing. Hearing Omasu yelling once again at her, she decided that it was time to take a bath and get ready...unless she wanted to be dragged butt-naked out of her room. Deciding that she rather liked to have her dignity intact, she let out a soft sigh and moved away from the basin. Still she couldn't stop her fingers from tracing the scar on her shoulder, it seems that she will forever carry the mark of the wolf on her.

With her back facing the mirror. She never saw the amber eyes gazing back at her from within the reflective surface as she stepped towards the shower.

---

_She was small, so fragile looking, resembling more of a drowned rat at the moment than anything else. The clothes she wore clung to her small scrawny frame, nothing much to see there in his opinion. He would have thought her a boy if not for her scent and obvious female face._

_Amber eyes once again ran along her thin frame and he couldn't help but wonder how she survived such a dangerous fall from that cliff. She should have been dead. Such a strange and determined creature she was. _

_It seemed she even had the strength to pull herself out of the raging waters to find dry land. The physical strain had proven too much though, which explained why she was lying unconscious here on the riverbank. _

_Such an easy prey to his wolves. _

_Biting and attacking her had been more out of instincts than anything else. For all he cared he should allow his wolves to devour her, maybe then the humans would learn not to enter his woods. _

_A growl. _

_Yet there was something about her...something that made him pause. It almost felt like a soft buzzing at the edge of his consciousness. His instincts were telling him that there was more to the tomboyish human girl. He should wait before passing judgement on her. _

_Another growl, this time fangs were visible and the fur on his back stood on end. _

_Why would he be interested in a human? _

_They were below him. _

_And yet...he was never one to go against his own instincts. _

_Coming to a decision, he decided that he would wait until she woke up. She might be human, but she was the first human in many years to pique his interest and that was enough to grant her some more hours of life...for now. _

**TBC...**


	2. Innocent Prey

******Hello again. I want to say thanks to all of those who reviewed. I responded to all of them but if you did not get a message, blame it on FFnet which was having problems. Still thanks a lot. I appreciate the support. **

Sorry if there are any mistakes but I don't have a beta for this. Anyways enjoy! Remember constructive criticism and reviews are appreciated a lot.

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or the characters  
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**Wolf's Prey**

**Chapter 2: Innocent Prey**

**---**

_Pain..._

_That was the first thing she registered when she finally came to. The pain was awful and most of it concentrated at her right shoulder where she could still feel some of her blood flowing freely. She winced as her fingers touched the injured flesh. She was not sure how bad it was but she knew that it was not life threatening at least or that was what she hoped. _

_Sitting up she brought her fingers to her face. She was not surprised to see crimson staining them. Wiping away the crimson fluid on her tattered remains that had been once her shirt, she turned her gaze to the now darkened sky. _

_It was already night, her conscious whispered to her and she was till lost in this god forsaken forest...all alone. Fear once again made itself known but the young girl refused to give in this time. It was her fear which had allowed her to make the mistake of turning her back on a predator and look where that has gotten her. _

_Cursing mentally she tried to get a hold of her bearings. She needed to concentrate on her circumstances. First of all she didn't know for how long she had been out. If she had to guess, she would say about two hours at least. _

_Yet that didn't help her at all, cause she didn't really know how far she was now in the forest. The river could have dragged her anywhere to begin with. She didn't even know how she ended up here to begin with. _

_All she could recall was being chased, being bitten by that wolf and falling off that cliff. After that everything was a blur. A big nasty blur that was giving her a headache not to mention that her body ached rather badly. She could only assume that she had hit her body some way when she had been dragged away by the river but of course she did not know how or when . _

_Scowling she decided that it was all because of that animal. She swore that if she ever saw that wolf again, she was personally going to skin it. It's not enough that they hunted the other animals, they had to go after humans too. Well Misao Makimachi was no prey! She huffed at the thought. _

_Here she was aching, tired, hungry and in the crappiest mood ever. God she needed to hurt something. _

"_Stupid wolf," she muttered angrily and shivered lightly as a cold wind wrapped around her still damp body. _

_However a growl snapped her out of her thoughts and she quickly looked up. For a moment the clouds hid the full moon in the sky and she could not make out anything but all of the sudden amber eyes could be visible, barely a few feet in front of her. _

_Like a deer caught in the headlights, the emerald eyed girl froze. Strangely enough the first word that registered to her mind was demon. She was going to get attacked and killed by a demon. _

_She was proven wrong though as the cloud parted and the moonlight illuminated said demon._

_Her eyes widened as they settled on him. His fur was as dark as the night itself. His body made to hunt, sharp fangs glinted dangerously as mouth opened to reveal row after row of sharp fangs and teeth. _

_He was big, almost as big as her and for that brief moment she knew that this was not a normal wolf and maybe...maybe just maybe that those stories were true after all. _

_---_

Humans were rather bothersome, females even more. He wondered if these creatures did not sense danger or maybe they would prefer to ignore that little voice in their heads in favor of throwing themselves at him. The latter most likely.

The cool glare he had send her was supposed to be enough to deter the creature from pursuing him and yet it had no effect. Amber eyes narrowed dangerously. If she did not remove herself this instant from his vicinity, blood was going to flow. Thin lips tilted in a predatory smile at the prospect of a fresh kill. He had spend too much time among these humans. His instincts were already scratching at the surface.

The urge to hunt, to chase to kill was calling to him like the dark and promising song of a siren and if he had been anyone else, he would have probably embraced it and let himself be lulled by the treacherous symphony but he had better control than that. Focusing on his surroundings once again, he was reminded why he was here again.

She was close, very close. The shadow user had thought to hide her from him, but he should have known better. His mark sealed her fate. She was his and his alone. Now after waiting so long for her, he would not be denied. Still that did not stop him from growling lowly in his throat. Of all the places she could live, she lived in one of the most crowded cities in the world. There was barely any forest here at all and it affected him in ways that he did not want to acknowledge.

"So what sign are you?" the waitress asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He narrowed his deep molten amber eyes even more if possible and sniffed indignantly as the woman in front of him made a grant display of showing off her rather ample chest by bending down and picking up a pen that she had purposely dropped when taking his order.

Shameless, utterly shameless as if her disgusting body would appeal to him in any way. He had just about enough.

"Woman, are you that dense that you cannot get it through your thick skull that I'm not interested in this pathetic game of seduction you're trying to play? I grow bored of you." His words were calculated and cold like eyes, cutting through her like the sharpest blade. He watched her snap back, almost like she was physically hit by his words, she stumbled backwards as her dark eyes searched his.

She must have seen the seriousness of his words for the next moment he watched in utter boredom and annoyance as her cheeks heated up in obvious sign of anger and indignation, but before she could utter a word, he cut her off.

"Do you wish for me to call the manager?" He knew it was low blow but he didn't feel like dealing with her anymore. His patience was already running thin and with a little bit more pushing on her side, he would snap. A wolf would always be a wolf, you could try to tame him, but in the end the dark instincts would always be there. Another place and another time and she would have been dead. In reality she should at least be thankful that he was allowing her to live this time.

Fortunately she seemed to understand his threat and quickly turned around and headed into the kitchen. His keen ears picked up some rather colorful words, which she whispered under her breath as she stormed away, but he paid little heed to them.

All that mattered was that she finally left him alone. A smirk, he enjoyed his small victory.

Gazing at the small diner he couldn't help but ask himself what she would find attractive of a place like this. The place smelled of old coffee and stale breath. From what he had gathered her friends and her visited this place each afternoon after their classes.

"Here you are." He looked up as the same waitress slammed down the cup of coffee on the table.

"Hn."

He smirked as he watched her turn around abruptly cursing under her breath and storming towards the kitchen once more. Satisfied that she would not be bothering him again, he turned his gaze to the cup of coffee.

The aggravating twit really thought that he would not smell the scent of her saliva mixed with the strong scent of coffee. The urge to teach her lesson passed his mind but his thoughts ceased as he felt the familiar tug at his soul. Almost instinctively his eyes shifted to the front door. He picked up a few voices but he concentrated on the youngest sounding one. It sounded familiar. The voice had matured during the years but the same soft tilt and energetic tone could still be registered by his sharp hearing.

It had to be her.

Almost as if hearing his thoughts the door opened, the small bell at the top making a soft jingling sound. However all his attention was focused on the petite young woman that stepped through the doors.

He felt the tug once again. Unconsciously he stood up and slowly made his way towards her. She seemed completely oblivious to him though as she talked to her friends.

That of course would not do. No one ignored him.

'Look at me.'

---

Misao gasped in surprise and tensed. She could have sworn that she heard a male voice in her head. All of the sudden she felt something lurch in her, her hand instinctively touched her burning shoulder. The feeling once again washed over her, it was foreign but at the same time familiar. She shuddered at the intensity of the pull.

'Look at me.'

There it was again.

That voice, it was beckoning her. She turned away from her friends and instead tried to find the source of that call. She knew that it was close. She didn't question herself how she knew this. All she knew for certain that she needed to find it.

And finally she did...

Her breath hitched in her throat as her emerald eyes fell upon him.

For a moment she forgot to breath. Everything around her melted away, all she knew and saw was him. Her heart thudded almost painfully in her chest and the burning in her shoulder increased to the point that she thought that it would burn through her clothes.

He was tall, so much taller than. The dark clothing he wore, stuck to him, showing off his lean physique that radiated strength and power. With each move he made, she could see those finely developed muscles strain against his clothes. It was almost mesmerizing to see.

She unconsciously licked her suddenly dry lips and was shocked as those amber eyes hungrily settled on her lips. Something bloomed in her and she unconsciously took a step back. Yet at the same she felt her body lean slightly forward in his direction. His gait was slow, predatorily. He was enjoying this. He knew he had her trapped.

He was a predator and she was prey.

She did not understand where these thoughts came from, but she had no time to think as he made his way closer to her, giving her a better view of his face.

His face was chiseled perfection, completely masculine in every way. A strong and arrogant jaw, thin manly lips and defining nose but what caught her attention the most were his eyes. Dark hair fell carelessly in those hot pools of ambers.

Another surprised gasp tore from her lips. She could not look away though. Those eyes...they were familiar and they held her trapped.

She knew those eyes.

They were like...her teeth dug into her lower lip.

The picture of a magnificent wolf flashed through her mind and the world around her shifted abruptly.

Dark invaded the edge of her vision. She swayed and yet she could not look away, not even when she felt her body falling forward. He was close now. Only a breath away.

She could distinctively hear her friends calling out her name but they were too far away. Eyes slid closed and she welcomed the inviting darkness.

However just before she lost consciousness completely she felt strong arms surround her and the scent of pine and waterfall invade her senses.

It felt comforting, something finally settled in her, something that had been lost for so long. With that last thought she surrendered completely to the awaiting darkness.

**TBC...**


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